Excursion Guide
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INQUA–SEQS 2002 Conference INQUA–SEQS ‘02 UPPER PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE OF THE SOUTHERN URALS REGION AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR CORRELATION OF THE EASTERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF EUROPE Excursion Guide Ufa – 2002 INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR QUATERNARY RESEARCH INQUA COMMISSION ON STRATIGRAPHY INQUA SUBCOMISSION ON EUROPEAN QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES UFIMIAN SCIENTIFIC CENTRE INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY STATE GEOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE BASHKORTOSTAN REPUBLIC RUSSIAN SCIENCE FOUNDATION FOR BASIC RESEARCH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE BASHKORTOSTAN REPUBLIC OIL COMPANY “BASHNEFT” BASHKIR STATE UNIVERSITY INQUA–SEQS 2002 Conference 30 June – 7 July, 2002, Ufa (Russia) UPPER PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE OF THE SOUTHERN URALS REGION AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR CORRELATION OF THE EASTERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF EUROPE Excursion Guide Ufa–2002 ББК УДК 551/782/.79+[550.384+561+562](282.247.415.5) EXCURSION GUIDE of the INQUA SEQS – 2002 conference, 30 June – 7 July, 2002, Ufa (Russia) / G. A. Danukalova, A. G. Yakovlev, V. N. Puchkov, K. N. Danukalov, A. K. Agadjanian, Th. van Kolfschoten, A. A. Eremeev and E. M. Morozova. Ufa: Dauria, 2002. 139 pp., Tabl. 22, Fig. 48, Plates 7. ISBN Summarised information on the Upper Pliocene – Pleistocene deposits of the Southern Urals with descriptions of the key sections and with the distribution of significant ostracode species, molluscs, large and small mammals and plant remains. The Late Cenozoic history of the Southern Urals region is characterised by the transgression of the Aktschagylian Sea, which flooded all river valleys of the Southern Fore-Urals during the Pliocene. The Pleistocene deposits in the area are of continental origin. The Pleistocene glaciations did not reach the Southern Urals; however the Quaternary climatic fluctuations affected the history of the fauna, flora and human societies as well as the geomorphological setting of the area. The Southern Urals region is an important area for the correlation between the European and Siberian/Asiatic stratigraphic schemes. To improve the correlation between the two areas and to expand our understanding of the complexity of the area, future (bio)stratigraphical investigation of the Pliocene–Pleistocene deposits of the Southern Urals region is indispensable. EDITORS: Thijs van Kolfschoten Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, PO Box 9515, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Philip Leonard Gibbard Godwin Institute for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN, England The Excursion Guide is produced with the help of: Drawings Nataliya Nechaeva Anatolyi Yakovlev Guzel Danukalova Imposition Alexander Chernikov ISBN © Institute of Geology Ufimian Scientific Centre RAS, 2002 Organisers: Institute of Geology – Ufimian Scientific Centre – Russian Academy of Sciences INQUA, International Union for Quaternary Research INQUA – Commission on Stratigraphy INQUA–SEQS, International Union for Quaternary Research – Subcomission on European Quaternary Stratigraphy Academy of Sciences of the Bashkortostan Republic State Geological Department of the Bashkortostan Republic Oil company “Bashneft” Russian Science Foundation for Basic Research Bashkir State University Scientific Committee: Dr. Thijs van Kolfschoten, Leiden University, The Netherlands (Chair). Dr. Philip Gibbard, Cambridge University, United Kingdom. Prof. Leczek Marks, Polish Geological Institute, Poland. Dr. Guzel Danukalova, Institute of Geology USC RAS, Bashkortostan, Russia. Organising Committee: Dr. Ph. Victor Puchkov, Institute of Geology USC RAS, Corr. Member of RAS, Bashkortostan, Russia (Chair). Rasikh Khamitov, The Head of the State Geological Department of the Bashkortostan Republic, Bashkortostan, Russia. Alexander Chernov, the State Geological Department of the Bashkortostan Republic, Bashkortostan, Russia. Victor Philippov, the Council of Ministers of the Bashkortostan Republic, Bashkortostan, Russia. Dr. Emir Gareev, Ufimian Scientific Centre RAS, Bashkortostan, Russia. Rauf Nugumanov, Chair of the Administration of Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia. Prof. Mukhamet Kharrasov, Rector of the Bashkir State University, Bashkortostan, Russia. Prof. Rifkat Talipov, Pro-rector of the Bashkir State University, Bashkortostan, Russia. Irek Zaripov, Chair of the Administration of the Burzyan region, Bashkortostan, Russia. Khamza Akhmetov, Chair of the Administration of the Karmaskaly region, Bashkortostan, Russia. Vener Kamaletdinov, Chair of the Administration of the Blagovar region, Bashkortostan, Russia. Ravil’ Davletov, Chair of the Administration of the Dyurtyuly region and Dyurtyuly town, Bashkortostan, Russia. Alexander Kim, Chair of the Administration of the Ilish region, Bashkortostan, Russia. Ampir Syrtlanov, the director of the Oil company “Bashneft”, Russia. Iljaz Abdrachmanov, the director of the Uchaly mountain-concentrating group, Russia. Mikhail Kosarev, the director of the Narional park “Bashkortostan”, Bashkortostan, Russia. Dr. Guzel Danukalova, Institute of Geology USC RAS, Bashkortostan, Russia. Dr. Anatoly Yakovlev, Institute of Geology USC RAS, Bashkortostan, Russia. Dr. Larisa Belan, Bashkir State University, Bashkortostan, Russia. 4 Upper Pliocene and Pleistocene of the Southern Urals region CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................5 METHODS ...............................................................................................................................................6 NATURAL CONDITIONS OF THE REGION .......................................................................................7 NEOTECTONICS OF THE URALS .......................................................................................................9 THE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE UPPER PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS OF THE SOUTHERN URALS REGION ....................................................................................................14 RADIOCARBON DATA .......................................................................................................................22 THE LATE PLEISTOCENE PALAEOENVIRONMENT IN THE SOUTHERN (BASHKIRIAN) FORE-URALS........................................................................................................................................26 THE GORNOVA SECTIONS................................................................................................................27 THE SYMBUGINO SECTIONS............................................................................................................49 THE NOVO-SULTANBEKOVO SECTIONS ......................................................................................66 THE BAZITAMAK SECTION..............................................................................................................77 THE CHUI-ATASEVO SECTIONS......................................................................................................89 THE ILENKA SECTIONS...................................................................................................................109 THE SHULGAN-TASH (KAPOVA) CAVE.......................................................................................130 and its significance for correlation of the eastern and western parts of Europe 5 INTRODUCTION The region of the Bashkortostan Republic (Russian Federation) that will be visited during the excursion covers the Fore-Urals border depression area, the east slope of the Southern Urals as well as the Southern Ural mountains (Fig. 1). Since the end of XIX century many famous Russian scientists studied the Cenozoic deposits in the Fore-Urals (V.I. Meller, F.N. Chernyshov, A.V. Nechaev, G.V. Vahrushev, A.V. Myrtova, V.L. Yakchemovich, et al.). More detailed descriptions of the upper Cenozoic deposits and the ancient drainage system in the Belaya-river basin were made during the geological survey by the Bashkirian territorial geological department and during thematic investigations by the Institute of Geology of the Scientific Centre of the Ufa Russian Academy of Sciences. The location of the Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits and the present relief depends mostly on the pre- Paleozoic and Paleozoic bedrock and it’s tectonic history. A well-developed drainage system was formed in the territory. The ancient drainage was filled by alluvial and lacustrine sediments of Upper Pontian (?) – Kimmerian (Kinel series; up to 350 m thick), Aktschagyl, Apsheron (Eopleistocene) and Pleistocene age. Numerous boreholes were made in the buried overdeepened, down cutted valleys. Due to extensive land subsidence in the south (in the region of the Caspian see) brackish water basins were formed during Kimmerian and Aktschagyl time. The deposits in the basins reflect the changes in the sedimentary conditions (limanian1 freshwater, marine brackish water and terrestrial). Large rivers were almost absent during the Middle and Late Pliocene due to the transgression of the sea; alluvial depostis were only formed in deltas and in shallow valleys located at the edges of the reservoirs. The activity of the ancient river depended, apart from the Caenozoic diastrophic movements, on exogenetic (climatic) factors, which resulted in considerable changes of the Caspian and Pechorian sealevels. The influence of the exogenetic factors refers to processes of surface run-off, denudation and accumulation in all the structural zones of the Southern Urals region. 1 Liman – the